Pro sports returning to Brooklyn

September 24, 2012 10:27 AM

Photo: Bebeto Matthews/AP

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Workers sweep the plaza in front of the main entrance to the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in preparation for Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. A new chapter in Brooklyn's history begins Friday when the Brooklyn Nets' new arena opens. less

Workers sweep the plaza in front of the main entrance to the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, in preparation for Friday's ribbon-cutting ceremony. A new chapter in ... more

Photo: Kathy Willens, AP

Workers sweep the plaza in front of the main entrance to the... Photo-3488006.49560 - Times Union

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Brooklyn Nets basketball player Brook Lopez walks onto the floor of the Barclay's Center, Brooklyn's newest arena and the team's new home, after a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 in New York. The ceremony marked the official unveiling of the arena, the first building that is part of the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn. less

Brooklyn Nets basketball player Brook Lopez walks onto the floor of the Barclay's Center, Brooklyn's newest arena and the team's new home, after a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 in New York. ... more

Brooklyn Nets NBA franchise owner Mikhail Prokhorov, center, speaks with reporters after a ribbon cutting ceremony at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, the team's new home, on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 in New York. After decades without a professional sports team, New York City's ascendant borough hit the major leagues again on Friday with the opening of the Brooklyn Nets' new arena. less

Eric Johnson, left, 19, and Mario Volcin, 23, play basketball in the Jackie Robinson Playground as the Ebbets Field apartments looms in the background, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ebbets Field, home to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball decades ago, became a sprawling residential complex to thousands after the Dodgers moved west. Now Brooklyn is hitting the major leagues again with a new arena and the Brooklyn Nets' NBA franchise. less

Eric Johnson, left, 19, and Mario Volcin, 23, play basketball in the Jackie Robinson Playground as the Ebbets Field apartments looms in the background, on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. Ebbets ... more

Ebbets Field Apartments, once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers and now home to thousands, is viewed from where second base would have been, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After decades without a professional sports team following the Dodgers move west, Brooklyn is hitting the major leagues again with a new arena and the Brooklyn Nets' NBA franchise. less

Ebbets Field Apartments, once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers and now home to thousands, is viewed from where second base would have been, Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. After decades without a ... more

Photo: Bebeto Matthews, AP

Ebbets Field Apartments, once home to the Brooklyn Dodgers and now... Photo-3488002.49560 - Times Union

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A mural recalling the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, shows signs of decay on the wall of a subway station on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. The mural is a short walk from Ebbets Field, where the Dodgers played and now a sprawling apartment complex to thousands after the team moved west decades ago. Now Brooklyn is back in the professional leagues again with a new arena and the Brooklyn Nets' NBA franchise. less

A mural recalling the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, shows signs of decay on the wall of a subway station on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 in Brooklyn, N.Y. The mural is a short walk from Ebbets Field, where the ... more

FILE - This undated file photo shows the entrance of Ebbets Field Stadium in the Brooklyn borough of New York. It was like a death in the family for Brooklyn baseball fans when their beloved Dodgers left the borough behind for the California coast. A new chapter in Brooklyn's history begins Friday Sept. 21, 2012 when the Brooklyn Nets new arena will open, just across the street from the spot where the Dodgers owner once tried to build a baseball stadium that never saw the light of day. less

FILE - This undated file photo shows the entrance of Ebbets Field Stadium in the Brooklyn borough of New York. It was like a death in the family for Brooklyn baseball fans when their beloved Dodgers left the ... more

FILE - This file photo of Sept. 13, 1942 gives an aerial view of Ebbets Field, home to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, in Brooklyn, New York. It was like a death in the family for Brooklyn baseball fans when their beloved Dodgers left the borough behind for the California coast. But after decades without a professional sports team, Brooklyn is hitting the major leagues again on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 when the Brooklyn NetsÃ‚Â’ new arena opens to the public. less

FILE - This file photo of Sept. 13, 1942 gives an aerial view of Ebbets Field, home to the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, in Brooklyn, New York. It was like a death in the family for Brooklyn baseball fans ... more

FILE - In this file photo of Sept. 22, 1957, two days before the Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, a young Dodgers fan waves a banner in the stadium as the Dodgers played the Philadelphia Phillies in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was like a death in the family for Brooklyn baseball fans when their beloved Dodgers left the borough behind for the California coast. But after decades without a professional sports team, Brooklyn is hitting the major leagues again on Friday, Sept. 21, 2012 when the Brooklyn NetsÃ‚Â’ new arena opens to the public. less

FILE - In this file photo of Sept. 22, 1957, two days before the Brooklyn Dodgers played their last game at Ebbets Field, a young Dodgers fan waves a banner in the stadium as the Dodgers played the ... more

Photo: AP

FILE - In this file photo of Sept. 22, 1957, two days before the... Photo-3488012.49560 - Times Union